Adding unusual words with beautiful meanings to your writing can help boost your vocabulary and make your writing more interesting. Here, we’ll look at how to use the most beautiful words in your writing.
If you’re writing regularly, you likely find yourself returning to the same phrases repeatedly, no matter how hard you try to insert rare words into your narratives. While finding unique words to express yourself can be tricky, doing so is essential. Using new words doesn’t just help you grow as a writer – it also helps your readers fully engage with your writing (and may even teach them a thing or two).
What Are Unusual Words?
Unusual words are those we don’t hear or use very often in everyday speech. However, unusual words with beautiful meanings can add whimsy and fun to your writing. Here, we’ll look at some rare words with beautiful meanings that you can start using in your writing today.
Rare Words With Lovely Meanings
| Paladin | Serendipity | Peiskos |
| Eudaimonia | Snuggery | Sonder |
| Wanderlust | Incandescent | Apricity |
| Lagom | Elysian | Reverie |
| Eleutheromania | Bimble | Beamish |
| Ataraxia | Balter | Verdant |
| Mudita | Orphic | Fernweh |
| Cosmogyral | Exculpate | Copacetic |
| Novaturient | Moonbow | Skosh |
| Cathartic | Lambent | Lacuna |
| Nyctophilia | Elucidate | Coddiwomple |
| Selcouth | Mizzle |
- Paladin: The paladin walked into the battlefield, unafraid and ready to take on the enemy, while the queen looked on and smiled in the background.
- Serendipity: There’s no doubt that serendipity exists–I felt it firsthand when I walked into the cafe and caught a glimpse of the man who would one day become my husband.
- Peiskos: There’s nothing better than a feeling of peiskos at the end of a long winter’s day as I curl up in front of the fire with a good book and a hot cup of tea.
- Eudaimonia: I’m working hard to take care of myself, so I can experience eudaimonia in everyday life–I want to feel calm, happy, healthy, and productive, no matter what circumstances the world brings my way.
- Snuggery: Tara was working to make her living room into a snuggery by filling the space with cozy furniture, comfortable pillows, and art that would make any visitor happy at home.
- Sonder: As Erika walked through the woods, she began to sonder, realizing that she wasn’t the main character in anyone’s life but her own; that, perhaps, she only played a passing role in the stories of those around her.
- Wanderlust: The feeling of wanderlust took hold. The Diaz family began to book their cross-country RV trek, beginning in Florida and ending in the great mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
- Incandescent: Spectators on Hawaii’s big island were in awe as the volcano spewed incandescent rock, enveloping onlookers in heat and steaming and smoking as it collapsed into the ocean below. For more, read our list of magical words.
- Apricity: As I drove down Route 80 on an ice-cold January morning, I was comforted by apricity as the sun’s warm rays shone through the window of my car.
- Lagom: When the server brought Ronald’s filet mignon and roasted potatoes to his table, he was pleased by the lagom of the presentation–everything was set up in exactly the perfect amount, not too little, yet not too much.
- Elysian: Monica reveled in the elysian feel of her Greek resort, lounging poolside while gazing at the rocky cliffs of the next island over as she sipped a cold drink and decided which Athens-style delicacy she was going to enjoy next.
- Reverie: As Lindsey went out for her daily run, she found herself in a state of reverie, contemplating her future with her family that she loved and her new job that left her feeling excited about what the next few years would bring.
- Eleutheromania: At the end of her senior year of high school, Allison felt a strong sense of eleutheromania, as she couldn’t wait to get out of her small town and head to her college she’d be surrounded by her peers.
- Bimble: Marcus and Lola bimbled around the Christmas market, trying to decide whether it was the right time to hold hands or whether they were still keeping up the facade that they were just friends.
- Beamish: When he got the job offer with a hefty salary raise, Nick was beamish and didn’t care which of his coworkers saw his gleaming smile.
- Ataraxia: Following her meditation session with her new life coach, Miranda felt a sense of ataraxia–for the first time, it seemed that all was right in the world.
- Balter: Justin baltered around on his wobbly feet at the children’s museum as he checked out each exhibit, making new friends with every step.
- Verdant: As the plane began to descend in Kansas, Thomas was blown away by the verdant landscape, as the fields below were seemingly painted a bright green that he had never seen in his life.
- Mudita: When Kim found out that Amanda got the promotion, she didn’t feel jealous; instead, she felt a deep sense of pride and mudita at her friend’s well-deserved accomplishment.
- Orphic: When Andrea walked into the psychic’s dimly lit abode, she was surprised to be overcome by an orphic sense of curiosity as she wondered what the mystical mistress would be able to tell her about her future.
- Fernweh: After spending a semester abroad studying in Europe, Vanessa felt a deep sense of fernweh, as she couldn’t wait to decide what area of the world she would explore next.
- Cosmogyral: Recently, NASA produced cosmogyral images that left the world reeling as people finally began to understand how small we are compared to the vastness of the universe.
- Exculpate: In the end, the actor was exculpated of wrongdoing, as it was proven that his former business partner’s accusations were falsified.
- Copacetic: Otto said that there’s nothing to worry about and everything is copacetic–but that doesn’t help me shake the uneasy feeling that something is about to go wrong.
- Novaturient: Derrick was feeling novaturient after he decided to leave his job, as he was ready for a new challenge and was craving significant, meaningful change in his personal and professional life.
- Moonbow: Onlookers rushed out of their homes to see what, for many, would be a once-in-a-lifetime sight: a moonbow illuminating the night sky after a humid summer thunderstorm.
- Skosh: “The pizza is good,” said Raphael, “But I’d love a skosh more pepperoni.”
- Cathartic: Aunalee always felt better after her sessions with her therapist, as she enjoyed the cathartic experience of being able to tell a non-judgemental person how she felt about her current situation at work.
- Lambent: The lambent light of the candle flickered in the window, serving as an inviting light for trick-or-treaters to come to the door and show off their intricate costumes.
- Lacuna: While Dr. Smith’s book on world trade covered many important topics, there was a noticeable lacuna in how developing countries are beginning to use technology to support the growth of their economies.
- Nyctophilia: As a nyctophiliac, Terrence got excited as he saw the moon begin to appear over the mountains, as the night was always when he felt most at home.
- Elucidate: A complicated research paper’s abstract can help elucidate tough topics for those unfamiliar with the field.
- Coddiwomple: She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she was coddiwompling her way there with purpose and determination, one step at a time.
- Selcouth: She became perplexed by the selcouth crystal ball in the window of the occult shop–even as a long-time collector of strange and unusual objects, she had never seen anything like it.
- Mizzle: The cold October morning coated the roads with a light mizzle, not enough to require an umbrella but heavy enough to give the day a dreary feel.
Are you interested in learning more? Check out our list of 100+ pronouns to use in your next writing piece!
